LAHORE: Punjab Excise and Taxation Minister Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman has said that the government has increased tax after 14 years and it would only be imposed on the well-to-do.
Talking to party workers at his residence, the minister said that priority was being given to education and health sectors and development budget of current fiscal year would be 17 percent more as compared to the previous year.
He said that 36 percent of development budget has been allocated for southern Punjab so that maximum development projects would be completed in the underdeveloped districts.
He said that the government would provide jobs to 4 million people whereas 2 million people would be provided technical training to make them self-sufficient.
He said that the Punjab government wanted to raise the growth rate of the province to 8 percent in the next four years. As a result of it, he added, more than 7 million people would be lifted out of poverty.
He said that in the budget the Punjab government has allocated Rs 5 billion for the farmers and the federal government would also provide the same amount to them. He said that Rs 10 billion subsidy would be given to the farmers on DAP fertilizers. He said that minimum wages have also been increased from Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000 per month.